The social media content of a bakery shop that featured some staff having a working lunch did not sit well with some Filipinos.
The TikTok account of Lola Nena’s uploaded a video of its co-founder and chief operating officer, Steffi Santana, and called it “A day with my apo, Steffi.”
The bakery chain began utilizing social media to promote its products in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic prompted lockdowns that caused people to maximize technology while housebound.
Its online content has since amused or inspired Filipinos, from inclusive job postings to jumping on trends to make itself relatable to Pinoys.
Its recent video with its co-founder was also posted on its Instagram with the title “A Day with Steffi.”
@lolanenas A day with my apo, steffi🫶🏼❤️ #lolanenas #fyp #bts ♬ original sound – Lola Nena
The clip highlighted how Santana works as one of the bakery shop’s founders, featuring clips of her signing documents, visiting their branches, attending an editorial shoot, and having meetings.
“Lately, na-realize namin that our teams on the ground need much more training to be much more successful and meet the quality that our customers deserve. Kayo ‘yon. And so, [nandito] kami ngayon to game plan,” she said in a voice-over.
It then showed clips of Santana having a working lunch with some staff.
“Siyempre, ‘yung lunch, hindi lang ‘yan break. Isa pa ‘yang chance to clarify and remind ourselves, ano ba ‘yung main goal natin?” the co-founder said.
The part failed to amuse some Filipinos who were turned off by the concept.
“Lola Nena’s PR team were doing their best with buwis-buhay and creative ads, and here goes the chain’s co-founder showing how she’s taking away the employees’ lunch time for a ‘game plan’ meeting. I don’t know, but this content was neither impressive nor empowering, lol,” an online user said.
“Calling for a game plan meeting during lunch when you’re only paying [eight hours] for a [nine hours] shift???” another Pinoy commented.
“Let employees take their lunch [or] break in PEACE!!!!” a different user exclaimed.
“Meetings should be done within the working hours, not the break time,” another Pinoy wrote.
“I hate working lunch. Naalala ko na ‘yung mga kasama kong nurse na they usually spend the remaining time ng lunch nila to encode para maaga sila makauwi instead of adding manpower. Ang kuripot kasi ng head,” another user said.
“‘Siyempre, ‘yung lunch, hindi lang ‘yan break,’ ay, hindi po. Break lang ‘yon dapat. Your employees should be able to eat in peace without working,” a different Pinoy commented.
Lunch as ‘break from work’
According to health experts, taking lunch breaks is important for productivity, focus, and one’s overall health.
“People often want to power through their day, but taking breaks like lunch breaks can boost performance. Studies indicate that taking a lunch break can help employee engagement and productivity during the afternoon,” nutrition and wellness expert Samantha Cassetty said.
“It’s also an important self-care strategy,” she added.
A productivity consultant and time management coach also said that lunch breaks are a time for people to take a break from work.
“Lunchtime is a break from work. It is not meant to be an extension of your workday,” Rashelle Isip wrote.
“While you think you may be saving time by multitasking, you may actually be doing more harm than good,” she added.
A human resource professional also said that breaks, even if they are only brief, allow the brain an opportunity to rest and refocus, which results in better productivity.
“Overworked employees are more stressed and more prone to errors, omissions, and, ultimately, job burnout,” Riia O’Donnell said.
“Managers who think they’re gaining a few hours of extra productivity during the lunch hour may be contributing to lost productivity in the afternoon, as well as lost employees in the long term,” she added.
